The hope of peoples in the Russian Orthodox Christmas

The traditional Christmas message of Patriarch Kirill. Today "storm winds" torment our existence. The leader of the Russian Orthodox invites us to contemplate the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. Overcome every difficulty by living according to the commandments.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) of Moscow addressed the traditional Christmas message to all Russian Orthodox people for the feast of January 7, which corresponds to December 25 according to the Julian calendar. As the Byzantine liturgical canon recites, "the Lord comes to us now, awaited by the peoples for the salvation of the world," and the peoples are the ancient ones and those of modern times, also forced into exile and desert crossings of wars and pandemics.

As the patriarch states, "people rejoice in feeling the presence of God and hearing His voice right next to them, having the possibility to turn to Him and feel that they are protected, in absolute safety" in these uncertain times, when the various threats continue to put everyone in a state of uncertainty and despair.

Today "storm winds" torment our existence, "when it is difficult to make predictions and organize projects", because we are constantly worried and tense about what may happen tomorrow. In these conditions "we feel in a very acute way the fragility of the human being and we realize how great we must consider the gift that God grants us of each new day," Kirill emphasizes. "We understand how heavy the condition of forced loneliness is, and how important it is to have a regular relationship with family members and loved ones."

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church invites us to contemplate the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, "to understand how much only love for God and neighbor can strengthen us in the many trials, drive out fears from our hearts and give strength to do good works." Kirill says that it is necessary to identify with Mary's condition, when she found herself in a city alien to her, in a deserted place, in the cave of animals, but as the troparium of the feast proclaims, "the miserable hut revealed itself to her as a splendid palace, because her heart was overflowing with love for her Son and for God, and this love transfigured everything around her, so much so that the Most Pure Virgin did not notice the discomforts, or even the extreme poverty of that crib."

The Patriarch observes that Mary's conscience "is so different from our sensations because of the difficulties we go through, when during the isolation even the maternal house is considered by many as a prison, we fall into depression and we begin to see everything black". Next to the bed of the Child, however, "the whole of creation stops, men, angels and animals, the 'servants of the Most Holy Light of the Three Suns', as the canon of Matins says, all united around Christ".

The Lord promises peace and relief for those weighed down by the heavy yoke of life's burdens, so "let us cast away the shadows of fear and lack of faith, the anxieties and sufferings of the heart, and listen to the voice of the Son of God, who promises relief to the weary," the patriarch says. "He comes to teach us how to live in such a way as to bring back into reality the lost bliss of heaven, and even more, to unite with the Lord in a mysterious and ineffable way."

The verses (stichira) of the feast continuously repeat that "the King of Heaven is born on earth," and the faithful are left only with the task of welcoming him and responding with their actions, Kirill reminds, "living according to the commandments and with works of mercy, strong in faith and hope, ready to receive the abundance of His gifts," to overcome any difficulties. The patriarch concluded his message with the words of Pope Leo the Great: "No one is excluded from participating in this joy, because the reason for joy is the same for all; let the saint rejoice, because he is approaching his glory, and let the sinner rejoice, because he is granted forgiveness."